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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. key — in music
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. court — of a king
  9. stock — goods
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. key — the most important part
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pit — in a race
  21. branch — a division
  22. court — of law
  23. stock — shares
  24. jam — to spread on bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com